For many ACCA students, the hardest part of studying isn’t just the exams themselves - it’s learning how to keep going after setbacks.

For Zainab, the journey to becoming ACCA qualified has been shaped by resilience, discipline, and determination. After moving from Sri Lanka to the UK during sixth form, she had to adapt to a completely different education system during lockdown and learn in a new environment. Later, during her ACCA studies, she faced multiple exam resits after initially underestimating the level of time, discipline, and consistency the qualification required.

It’s about refusing to give up.

Today, alongside her studies, Zainab works across payroll, administrative support, and account reconciliation - applying what she learns in real-world situations while continuing to work towards her ACCA qualification.

“Accountancy wasn’t my childhood dream”

Zainab’s path into accountancy wasn’t straightforward.

“As a child, I wanted to try everything from teaching to medicine,” she says.

But over time, her perspective changed.

“Watching my mother guide our family inspired me to look for a stable and impactful career where I could balance responsibility and flexibility.”

By the age of 12, she had set her sights on accountancy - even though numbers didn’t come naturally to her at first.

“The support from my maths tutors during GCSEs and sixth form helped me build a strong foundation and believe in myself.”

Before beginning her ACCA journey, Zainab also gained experience in social media marketing, working across projects in education, mental health, IT, and culinary arts.

“Even though it wasn’t directly related to accounting, it helped me grow as a person,” she explains. “Working with different industries and different people really helped me explore my skills.”

Adapting to a new country - and a new way of learning

One of the biggest challenges Zainab faced was adapting to life and education in the UK after moving from Sri Lanka during sixth form - particularly during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

“In Sri Lanka, we learnt through physical textbooks and handwritten notes,” she says. “When I moved to the UK, everything suddenly became digital.”

Like many students during lockdown, she had to quickly adapt to online learning platforms, remote lessons, and submitting work electronically.

“At first, it felt overwhelming because it was completely different from what I was used to,” she explains.

Over time, with support from friends and persistence, she gradually became more comfortable with the new learning environment and successfully completed sixth form.

Learning the hard way that ACCA requires consistency

When Zainab first started ACCA, she underestimated how much time and effort the qualification would require.

“At the beginning, I didn’t spend enough time studying,” she admits. “I assumed ACCA would require less effort than it actually does.”

That approach led to several exam setbacks early on.

“I passed both MA and TX on my third sitting,” she says honestly.

But rather than allowing those setbacks to stop her, Zainab gradually changed her mindset and study habits.

“If you are not doing well, increase your effort,” she says. “Sometimes you only understand why you failed when you go through the process again.”

She began building more discipline into her routine by studying regularly at the library - even on days when she felt physically exhausted after work.

“There were days when I felt tired and unmotivated, but I still pushed myself to go,” she says. “Once I entered the library, I would think: just do something. And that small effort often became much more than I expected.”

“You lose confidence when you keep resitting”

For Zainab, one of the hardest parts of repeated resits wasn’t just the studying - it was the emotional impact.

“Doing resits is not easy, especially when there is more than one,” she says. “You lose that inner confidence and feel unmotivated most of the time.”

Alongside self-doubt, she also felt pressure from others around her.

“People would ask things like, ‘Why not try something else instead?’” she explains. “I know they wanted the best for me, but it still made me question myself.”

At times, it felt like she was fighting both internal and external battles at once.

But instead of giving up, Zainab focused on controlling what she could: improving her preparation, building better habits, and staying disciplined.

“Little drops of water make a mighty ocean,” she says.

How Kaplan support helped rebuild her confidence

Throughout her ACCA journey, Zainab says Kaplan’s tutors and support teams played a major role in helping her stay motivated - particularly after failed exams.

“When I received my failed Tax exam result, I was worried and didn’t know what to do,” she says.

After being contacted about speaking with a progression adviser, she was connected with specialist tutors who helped her create a plan for her resit.

“I felt like someone was actually supporting me,” she says.

One-to-one conversations with tutors became particularly important during moments when her confidence was low.

“I remember speaking to a tutor before my resit and telling her all the reasons why I thought I might fail again,” Zainab says. “She listened patiently and told me to take things one step at a time.”

That encouragement stayed with her.

“When the tutor said, ‘Keep going, it’s okay,’ it almost felt unrealistic at the time,” she admits. “But now that I’ve passed and continued with my studies, I still think about how important it was to hear that.”

Zainab also credits Kaplan tutors with helping her improve her time management and approach to studying.

“One tutor advised me not to rely only on long study sessions,” she says. “She suggested using smaller pockets of time too - even studying while commuting. That really helped me stay consistent.”

Importantly, Zainab says support only works when students also believe in themselves.

“No matter how many people encourage you, if you give up on yourself, that’s when it stops,” she says.

Applying ACCA knowledge in the workplace

As her studies have progressed, Zainab has increasingly been able to apply her ACCA knowledge in practical workplace situations.

For example, she recently used her understanding of employee mileage allowance rules while calculating payroll mileage payments at work.

“It felt rewarding to apply what I’d learnt through my studies directly in the workplace,” she says.

Zainab’s advice for ACCA students struggling with resits

For students currently struggling with exam setbacks, self-doubt, or motivation, Zainab’s message is honest but encouraging.

“Never give up just because you keep failing,” she says. “You can figure it out.”

Her top study tips are:

Study consistently - even in small amounts

“Study each day, even if it’s only a small amount,” Zainab says. “Consistency matters more than one long study session.”

Practise questions and review mistakes carefully

“We hear people talk about question practice all the time, but it really is important,” she explains. “Review your mistakes carefully so you don’t repeat them in the exam.”

Understand what your results are telling you

“If you’re scoring between 40% and 50%, you probably need more question practice,” she says. “If it’s lower than that, focus on improving your technical knowledge first.”

Use your exam performance feedback to guide your revision

“One thing that really helped me was reviewing my exam performance feedback in my ACCA account after each sitting,” Zainab says. “It helped me understand where my weaker areas were and where I needed to focus more attention.”

At the start of each revision period, Zainab would review her feedback and use it to shape her study plan - spending more time revisiting weaker topics through videos, notes, and question practice.

“I would also look at it again one or two weeks before the exam to check if there were any areas I still needed to improve,” she explains. “It helped me revise more effectively instead of just revising everything equally.”

Looking ahead

Zainab hopes to complete her ACCA qualification, become a Chartered Accountant, and eventually build her own business.

More importantly, she wants to create something built on empathy and kindness.

“I want to create a workplace where people thrive through empathy, teamwork, and kindness,” she says.

Looking back on her own journey so far, Zainab hopes other students remember that setbacks do not define their future.

“You have to build that inner attitude to never give up,” she says. “Keep going.”

Start your own ACCA journey

Whether you’re preparing for your first ACCA exam, balancing studies alongside work, or rebuilding confidence after a resit, support can make all the difference. Explore Kaplan’s ACCA courses, flexible study methods, and learner support to help you take the next step towards becoming ACCA qualified.